Descend into Madness
by Lyra Heartstrings or Tuquorise
Summary: Short summary: Takes place in alternate universe. King Roland II and Queen Miranda retired and left Echantica for their now grown up children to rule over. As time went on, Sophia became resentful. As Sophia's hate and unhappiness grew in her heart, she met Nightmare, who understands Sofia completely and was willing to do anything to free her from her the cold shadow.
1. I--Painful reality

**Long Summary: **Takes place in alternate universe. King Roland II and Queen Miranda retired and left Echantica for their now grown up children to rule over. Amber is happily married and living in another kingdom. The responsibility of Enchantica is left in James and Sophia's hands. Together, both created peace and harmony for all the land.

As time went on, Sophia became resentful. All the praise and credit goes to her stepbrother, and whereas she gets nothing. James became proud and started to neglect her stepsister, too obsessed in the limelight to care about her stepsister.

As Sophia's hate and unhappiness grew in her heart, she met with Nightmare, a nightmare creature born in the moon, who understands Sofia completely and was willing to do anything to free her from her stepbother's cold shadow.

* * *

Descend into madness

Chapter I-Painful reality

Allowing the tears to flow freely down her cheeks, Sofia sobbed softly under the faint moonlight. Her body shivered from sobbing and from the cold wind that breezed by through her room window, nose becoming runny after crying. Sofia took out a napkin and wiped at her tears and blew her nose.

"What's wrong child?" A deep, feminine voice came from behind. Sophia jumped and spun her head around. There, in the hand mirror that Sophia brought along, was a young lady, skin dark as midnight, her long midnight blue hair rippled in none-existent wind. She wore gleaming platinum armour, her headdress bearing a violet gem that looked exactly like Sophia's amulet. An elegant horn grew just a few centimeters above her forehead. What made Sophia stare was her eyes-those cold, icy blue eyes with cat-like irises, with very long eyelashes that made her hauntingly beautiful.

"W-who are you? Please don't hurt me! I've done nothing wrong!" Sophia quivered as she backed away from the hand mirror. The lady chuckled in a dark tone that was able to sent chills down anyone's spine.

Shaking her head gently, she replied," Oh no, nothing of that sort. I'm Nightmare. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sophia."

Questions spilled out of Sophia's mouth like a machine gun. "Where do you come from? What's your purpose of coming here? Why do you look so weird? Wha-" She was cut off by the lady placing a finger on her lips, silencing her. Her skin felt so cold. Too cold.

"I know you have many questions, child. Let me answer them. I was born in the moon, all dreams and nightmares origin, and yes, I was born with a horn and wings. Somehow, a dream collided with a nightmare while it was still being formed. That's how I came about. My purpose of coming here is to-" Nightmare paused.

"To what?"

Nightmare flashed a smile. "To help you."

Sophia's eyes widened in shock. "W-what? H-h-ow do you know that? Why did you pick me, of all people to help?"

Nightmare sighed and replied, "I saw how you were overshadowed by your brother, and my heart ached. Nightmares are overshadowed by light and dreams, and I know how that feels. Plus, I see that you have great, hidden potential in becoming a powerful ruler. That's why I'm here to help you, to help you take everything that is rightfully yours."

Doubt filled the young princess's eyes, but soon faded as she cracked a small smile. "Thank you so much. Well, since you're here, may I pour out all my troubles to you, if you don't mind."

Nightmare nodded reassuringly. Of course. I'm here to help you, remember?"

"You see, mom and dad retired and left the kingdom for me and my siblings to rule. My sister Amber is happily married and moved to another kingdom, which is now me and my brother rule over. It all went well at first, but somehow I feel that only my brother is being loved and admired, whereas I am hidden beneath the shadows. I feel as though I am nothing but a tool for James to get all the glory and praise. Maybe my subjects don't even remember that Princess Sophia ever existed at all."

Nightmare's heart immediately went out to Sophia. "Oh, child. You must be feeling depressed." She said in a sympathetic voice.

"You know what? It's just not fair. James keeps on telling me that everything is fine, but what does he know? He has never felt loneliness like what I feel. That's why I need you, Nightmare. why doesn't anyone understand?"

Nightmare's eyes flashed, and she appeared out of the mirror above Sophia. "I understand." She said, her eyes filled with concern. "It just feels like we're both the same. I feel your pain, your hunger for acknowledgement and eagerness to shine. You and your kindness are unappreciated. If we have a chance to show your subjects your capabilities, I'm sure that you'll finally make friends, and they will admire you just like your brother. You just need a _chance. _If everybody looked upon you just like your brother, everyone will understand, and you will truly be loved."

Realisation struck Sophia like a wave. She looked at Nightmare with her teary eyes, before croaking out, "Yeah. Maybe I do need a chance."

Standing up, Sofia headed to James's room. Gently opening the door, she peeked inside. True enough. He was there, writing something on a scroll with a feather pen. "Um, James?" Sophia spoke in a soft voice.

"Yes, Sophia?" James replied flatly, not tearing his gaze off his work.

"I-I was wondering if… if you take a step down your royal duties for tomorrow, so.. so so that everyone will be able to see that I am capable as you. Just for one day only… because… I want to be admired just like you, so I was wondering-"

"Sophia." James replied sternly, turning his head to face her. "What nonsense are you spouting this time? Can't you see that your older brother is busy? I have no time for your childish games now. Go and play by yourself, if you don't mind, _dear._" James stared coldly at her, before continuing his work.

Sophia gasped softly. Is this the way he treated his younger sister? Where did the kind and understanding James went? Bowing her head, Sophia left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Returning to her room teary eyed, Sophia looked up at the dressing mirror, with Nightmare's apologetic face. "Sophia. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't expect this to happen."

Squeezing her eyes shut to allow more tears to fall, Sophia clenched her fist and punched the mirror, leaving cracks as blood seeped into them. When she opened her eyes and looked at herself at the mirror, she realised…

That her eyes were beginning to glow icy blue.

Her pupils contracted to slits.

Her teeth sharpened to fangs that resembled a wolf's.

Her wavy auburn hair was changing to midnight blue.

Her Amulet of Avalor was glowing evilly.

Her skin was turning to midnight black.

A horn ascending from her head, onyx wings began to sprout from her back.

The transformation was painful. So painful. Sofia let out a blood curdling scream as she fell on the floor. Shocked and terrified, she screamed, **"HELP! JAMES HELP! PLEASE! MY DEAREST BROTHER, SAVE ME! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"**

"Sofia?!" James cried as he leaped out of his chair, abandoning his work. He grabbed his sword and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. From her voice, he knew that this was no joke. His sister was really in trouble. His heart thumped wildly as he recalled what happened moments ago. _"I-I was wondering if… if you take a step down your royal duties for tomorrow, so.. so so that everyone will be able to see that I am capable as you. Just for one day only… because… I want to be admired just like you, so I was wondering-"_

James realised how foolish and selfish he was to have ignored her sister. All she wanted was to be admired just as much as he does, all she wanted was a word of praise, and how guilty he felt now.

"Sofia!" James yelled as he burst into Sofia's room. He gasped in shock at what he witnessed. His dearest, sweetest little sister was transforming into some sort of demonic creature, and from her eyes, it showed that she was in great pain. James felt tears well up in his eyes. He wanted to save her, but the question was, how?

"Hang on Sofia! Don't give in to that horrible power!"

"**I can't! It's controlling me! It's bringing me so much pain!"**

"_It's too late now, James. You have been so selfish that you brought your sister loneliness and depression. It's all your fault, you brought this upon her, and now you will pay the price." _Nightmare spoke in James's mind.

Sofia had fully transformed into Nightmare. her platinum armour gleaming under the moonlight that flooded in the room. She snarled at him, revealing her sharp, deadly fangs. Her icy blue eyes stared right into the prince's very soul. She spoke in a deep, ferocious, voice, "It's payback, James. I've been overshadowed by you long enough. Brace yourself, for this fight of life and death."

"_I will overthrow you and take over the throne."_

**In case you're confused, this takes place in an alternate universe. In this universe, Sophia never made any friends here. I decided to do this so that the storyline flows properly.**

**If you're wondering, yes, I will continue this.**


	2. II--Battle of the history

Chapter II—Battle of the history

It was on the tenth day, of the tenth month, of the one thousandth and tenth year of the Enchancian era. **(I don't know the exact year, so don't blame me…)**

The moon shone brightly at the apex of the sky accompanied by an endless sea of stars looking down upon Enchancia.

Nobody noticed when they trembled, for this day, evil reflected on the moon in the sky, fear clutching at the heats of all.

Princess Nightmare cackled to herself as she stood on the highest tower of the castle. Looking across James, she said, "Oh, am I not royal enough for you? My dear _brother." _She spat out the last word as if it were poison in her mouth, "Now everyone across Enchancia will know how worthy and powerful I am to rule after ignoring me for all these years!"

James, on the other hand, was clutching a robe that was covering his body as he spoke, "Sophia, please listen." The queen scowled as she motioned for James to continue, "Father and mother left this kingdom for both of us to rule in peace and harmony. I beg of you to stop everything. Don't make our people suffer"

"Your kingdom, your people, your light. That's all I ever hear from you!" She snapped at James as her demonic eyes gave off an icy blue glow, "My court lies empty for months and years! All I ever hear that you're so busy in governing the kingdom, that you didn't have any time to see me. ME! Your own sister, and why? Because you are busy, because everyone showers you with praise, that you have to leave me in the dark and shun me!"

James winced as he looked away from his sister's accusing eyes, "But I tried, sister. Our kingdom need us, our people need us. They need us both, even if you don't know that I can't rule without you._ I _need you. Please come back to me Sophia."

Ignoring James' words, she opened her wings as she shouted, "They do not care for me James! Your little people just forgot me! They refuse to acknowledge what I had contributed and sacrificed for them!" She lowered her tone to that of a whisper before continuing, "No, James, they do not need me, only because they are blinded by your sanity. I will show them what I have to give, I will FORCE them to appreciate me, AND the contributions that I did! Even if I must **KILL YOU, MY OWN BROTHER, TO TAKE OVER YOUR THRONE!"**

James stepped forward, retrieved his sword and clutched it so tightly that his knuckles turned white, "Sophia, you can't do that! You cannot cope with all the royal duties! Enchancia would be thrown in chaos and disorder without an effective rule! I beg of you, stop this madness!"

The younger sibling chuckled again as her hair shifted in nonexistent wind. "Without an effective rule you say?" She paused, bent down and retrieved her tiara which she threw on the floor moments ago, "You're saying that I'm not an effective ruler? That'll I'll throw Enchancia into chaos and disorder without you?"

The young adult lowered his sword, looking down slightly, "No. You're not completely useless. We both need each other-to rule together. Without one of us, what will happen to our beloved kingdom?"

"**WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ANSWER IS THEN?! **They never needed me, and they probably never will. They will die if they do not love me! That will show them that they are forbidden to ignore me, NEVER!"

James took a step back from Princess Nightmare in shock, "After all I've heard from you, you...you cannot be my sister. Sophia is too kind hearted to kill."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Princess Nightmare bellowed in a harsh and unforgiving tone, "Sophia is dead. You and your precious subjects saw that! I am where I am now because of you. I am your walking nightmare, And let it be known, oh brother of mine, when everyone is dead and gone, and you will live for the rest of your life ruling over dust and bones, that Princess Nightmare did this to you!"

James took a step back and looked down at the floor in misery, before looking up, gritting his teeth in anger and determination, "No."

Princess Nightmare took a step back in shock. "No? What do you mean no?"

"You think that you shall throw the land in eternal chaos and disorder, but harmony will find a way. If I have to fight my own sister, for the sake of my kingdom, my subjects, my family and my throne, I won't rest until I defeated you!" Raising his sword, he slashed it at Nightmare, forcing her to stumble backwards towards the edge of the tower and crashing into the throne room below.

The princess of nightmares hastily checked herself to see if she were okay, and was fortunate that her armour protected her.

She looked up through the hole she created and witnessed James riding a pegasus which was diving straight towards her, robes off, revealing a gleaming suit of silver armour.

Gritting her teeth, Nightmare retrieved her sword and deflected James' attack, sending the young prince gliding to the edge of the room, killing the pegasus unfortunately. She vanished in clouds of inky black smoke just as James sent another attack.

The formless Princess Nightmare slithered her way over to her brother's ear, "You cannot defeat me… my new dark powers are stronger than you can ever possibly imagine."

James turned around sharply in attempt to catch the formless princess, only to see the empty spaces of the throne room. Princess Nightmare chuckled darkly as she silently appeared behind James in solid form. She drew her sword, aiming it at his neck, when he spun sharply and gave a battle cry, their swords coming into contact with each other. The glistening of the blades and the clashing of metal, was definitely music to Nightmare's ears.

"Remember, when you and I were kids and played sword fighting at the tree house during our royal playdate?" Princess Nightmare mocked softly in a whisper, earning a silent gasp from James. "Now, we're both fighting for real."

Yes, _those_ days. He could remember clearly as he could see through polished crystal.

_Surrender your ship, captain James!_

_Ha, as if!_

"Ah, yes, and those swords we carved out from wood. I was the pirate and you were the captain of the ship."

_Take that!_

_I won't lose to you!_

_Hahaha!_

"And, do you remember when I knocked that wooden sword off your hands?"

_Hey! That's not fair!_

_Ha! I win! Eat it, captain James!_

James gritted his teeth as she stood up straight. "Sophia. I do not wish to harm you. Please, don't make me do something we'll both regret."

The dark princess laughed as she slammed her fists down harshly on James' chest, "THEN YOU WILL BE CRIPPLED IN THIS NIGHT!"

The corrupted princess slammed her platinum armoured fists into James' silver armour, with enough force to shake the very earth. The soft metal armour dented easily, forming cracks in the weak spots, revealing the clothes he wore underneath.

Princess Nightmare laughed, having the kind of joy in her laugh that only belonged to the truly insane.

James tried to launch another attack to stop his sister. However, every time he tried to slash his sword, Nightmare's fists would again slam down upon him.

Just as James felt that his armour was about to shatter into a million pieces, battle cries and clanking of armour and weapons could be heard outside the door of the throne room. Princess Nightmare scoffed in disgust, "Did you send your pathetic little army to stop me? Yes, your army is humongous, but you haven't seen barely half of my dark powers!"

The throne room doors collapsed, revealing an enraged Enchancian army, all cladded in gleaming suits of armour and armed with weapons. "Surrender now, Princess Sophia, you're outnumbered." The captain of the guards commanded, only to make Princess Nightmare cackle cruelly and loudly, her laugh echoing through the spaces of the room, "Surrender? Ha! Surrendering is not in my dictionary!"

The captain of the guards spoke again, "Since you choose to do this the hard way, then let's do this the hard way." He aimed his spear directly at Princess Nightmare and bellowed, "Men! Charge!"

As the army charged towards the dark princess and letting out battle cries, she stood perfectly still, her face emotionless, cold as stone. _W-what is Sophia doing? Is she just standing there, waiting to be killed?! Has her madness driven her to a point where she loses her natural instincts? _James thought bewilderedly to himself.

Princess Nightmare's emotionless face turned into a face that resembled determination. She closed her eyes, concentrating as her elegant horn glowed icy blue, glowing brighter every second, every inch the army charged closer, and she spreaded open her onyx wings and ascended herself off the ground. A sphere formed at the tip of her horn, and she retrieved her sword, which was now gleaming icy blue. The sphere disappeared from her horn, and onto the tip of the sword, now crackling with unimaginable power. Princess Nightmare raised her sword, as the light from her horn lit up the room, before aiming it directly at the charging army.

A blinding light filled the room, and James shielded his eyes to prevent himself from turning blind.

When the light settled, James' mouth went agape as he took in his surroundings.

There, lay dead, lifeless bodies of the soldiers. Their armour and weapons were all crushed into bits. What next, made James felt like throwing up, was the blood. Some of the unfortunate soldiers had their body parts being torn off from the whatever-crazy-power Princess Nightmare casted. James' eyes rested upon the body of the captain of the guards, his bloody torso outstanding the other dead bodies.

James turned to face Princess Nightmare in sheer horror, "Why? How could you have the heart to do this, Sofia?"

Nightmare only replied with another insane and cruel cackle, "There, now you've seen it for yourself, didn't you Prince James? This is what they deserve for defying my rule! _Just as I promised." _She paused, before giving him a bone-chilling glare, "And now it's your turn."

Just as she finished, Princess Nightmare fired a beam of magic straight onto the already badly dented armour. Finally, the armour of Prince James, co-ruler of Enchancia, could not withstand another moment of abuse, fell away from his body, crumpled and dented beyond recognition. Left without any more energy to fight back, all he could do now was to try and make himself as small as possible.

Princess Nightmare, upon hearing her brother's wracking sobs, leaned down to his ear and whispered in a tone a mother would use to calm her child, "This can all end now James. All you have to do is surrender, and hand over your throne to me."

James looked up at Princess Nightmare. Blood gashed out of his nostrils and cuts from his sisters harsh platinum armour covered his body. "I'm so very sorry Sophia, you left me no choice."

A light, brighter than a thousand suns burned in James' eyes, "If you, Princess Sophia, do not stand down from this madness, then I shall send you to a place where you shall harm another living being no more!" He began to ascend into the air, his sword glowing brightly. Behind him, were three fairies, which Princess Nightmare knew extremely well.

Shielding her eyes from the glow, Princess Nightmare took a cautious step back. "No, surely this must be some sort of trick! Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather? No way! They were helping you all this while?!"

Flora let out a sigh, "Oh, my poor ex-student, having to suffer like this."

Fauna lowered her head in sadness, "Well, what choice do we have now?"

"Forgive us, Sophia." Merryweather said as the three fairies aimed their wands at James' sword and began chanting:

"_With these words we give thou sword a power_

_To end the tyranncy of a corrupt ruler_

_Now, oh sword, end this now_

_Banish her to a place where she would harm no one else!"_

Princess Nightmare casted a spell on her sword for a final attack, with the exact amount of power she used on the Enchancia army. Simultaneously, the powers of the two swords clashed fiercely with each other. However, Princess Nightmare's powers were of no match to the power that the fairies granted to James.

The shock wave form Nightmare's spell left her sword with enough force to knock down every pillar in the palace. The stone cracked as the building groaned in protest. Every window shattered as the spell rushed out the palace.

The power was so great, that the people living in the villages and coastal areas could feel its fearsome power. they fled in fear, as if the heavens seemed to punish them with a natural disaster.

The light hit Princess Nightmare, and it swirled around her in an astonishing speed. Pure horror and shock was written all over her face as the light shot up into the sky, bringing Princess Nightmare along with it. Her screams rose as she yelled maniacally, **"THIS IS NOT OVER PRINCE JAMES! VERY SOON I WILL FIND A WAY TO RETURN BACK TO ENCHANCIA, AND YOU WILL SUMMON TO MY POWER AND EVERYONE WILL LOOK UPON ME!"**

As Nightmare's screams faded away, James felt that the once superb power than was within him dispensed as his eyes returned back to normal, and he fell to the ground with a sickening thud. The three fairies rushed to him and shoved him a lot of questions, each full of concern.

James forced a smile as he waved his hand in false nonchalance. "I'm fine. I really am. I just need some time alone to let everything that happened sink in." The three fairies obeyed as they left, leaving the shaken up prince curled up like a ball in the throne room.

James looked up at the sky, wondering where his sweet little sister had gone to. Surely she must be feeling perplexed and petrified at this very moment. James lowered his head in grief as he allowed himself to cry and mourn over the loss of his sister and many other innocent souls as well. When he was crying his heart out, he felt like as if a huge rock had been lifted off his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he cried.

Now he knew that even if he was as lost just as his once beautiful palace, Enchancia was saved.

**Hey, I was wondering if I were to draw a comic series for this fic. If I get many supporters, I ****MAY**** draw the comic series and upload it in my DA account (which can be found in my profile). If you have any ideas or would like to assist me in any ways possible, please send me a PM.**

**I would probably continue this story by telling where Princess Nightmare got banished to, and how she copes. There will also be James in it, don't worry.**

**P.S: If you're confused that in chapter 1, I called her "Nightmare", whereas in chapter 2, I call her "Princess Nightmare". Well, cause in this chapter, Sophia and Nightmare's soul are now combined, so in a nutshell: Princess Sofia+Nightmare=Princess Nightmare.**


	3. III--Awake and Alive

Chapter III-Awake and Alive

Sofia sat in her royal court and stared at the oak double doors before her and waited. Her eyes drifted out of the window to her right and witnessed the beautiful full moon high in the sky, as peaceful as a ship in the cam sea drifting its way to the horizon.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she glanced at her guards, forever staring off into space until something happens.

Sophia stood up from her throne, "Guards," the guards looked up at Sophia expectantly, "announce to anybody in waiting, that the court is closed. I shall be in my office, sorting out tax codes if anyone is in need of me."

The guards saluted before opening the door, revealing the long lush of lavender carpet of the waiting hall, empty of any people waiting to get in at all.

Sophia sighed again, longer this time as she walked down the basement stairs. Sophia's steps echoed through the space as she glanced at the flickering flames on the torches that lit the stairway. When she reached the basement, she turned left and walked to a solid stone wall. Muttering some spell words, her amulet glowed dark purple, causing the stone blocks to slide away from her and to the right, revealing a secret passageway.

Sophia walked into the hall and heard the stone blocks slid into place behind her, blocking out all light from the basement behind her. Immediately, her amulet begun to glow and she looked around the narrow hall, so narrowly built that even with her dress being tucked away from the sides, the dress would lose a few beads that were embodied to it if she moved too quickly or carelessly.

Cautiously she began to move, as she watched as the light emitted from her amulet cast strange shadows in the chamber, creating a very surreal atmosphere. Sophia watched as the shadows and could almost see the faces of her subjects, only caring and talking to her brother, totally oblivious of the younger princess's presence.

Sophia shook those thoughts aside as she moved up a flight of stairs, took a left at the fork of the hall, and soon she found herself standing face to face with a dedicate glass frame looking into an office space. She pressed softly on the frame to open the door and stepped into her most private of chambers, the Royal Office of the youngest Princess of Enchancia.

Gently swinging the door shut behind her, she strolled across a plush royal lavender carpet and sat down upon a sky blue pillow. Finally feeling secure in knowing nobody could see or hear her, Sophia spilled all the tears that she locked up inside her.

It could have been hours, days or even years that she would have cried, but it was only a matter of minutes before her tears were broken by the sound of laughter.

"_**So, this is Sophia, youngest princess of Enchanica wallowing in her own tears! HA!"**_

Sophia jerked up her head quickly and furiously wiped away her tears before turning her head behind her, "Who dares to insult me?! Show your face so that I can see whom it is that incurred my wrath!"

The laughter echoed through the empty office as Sophia tried in vain to track the source of the laughter as she stood in the centre of the room. _**"Over here Soph! Can't you see me?"**_

Immediately, Sophia fished out her wand as she looked around warily, "What foul beast are you that dares to mock an Enchancian princess?!"

The air shifted in the room, as if a breeze came through an open window. Suddenly, Sophia felt a tug on her hair. _**"Gotcha!"**_

Sophia spun around as she tried to zap at her offender, only to realise that she blasted a hole into her favourite chaise lounge. _**"Ha, you thought that I was there?" **_The laughter started again, echoing through the small room. Now she could hear dozens of people laughing at her.

Sophia crouched down on the carpet and pressed her palms against her ears as tight as she could and screamed, **"STOP! STOP IT! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"**

Silence violently shattered the laughter. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. Looking up, she found that she was all alone in her office. Just her and the broken furniture.

"_**I can make the laughter stop."**_

Sophia turned to the voice and saw nobody except her own reflection in the mirror.

"My subjects don't laugh at me," the young princess said to herself, "I must be tired for my mind to plague me with phantom voices."

"_**You are not tired. You are more awake than ever."**_ Sophia focused on the mirror and saw her reflection step closer to her, "_**Nor am I a mere phantom. I know what you wish for, I know what you desire for."**_

"How do you know about my desires?" Sophia asked warily.

_**"Step closer my dear, and I'll tell you all about it." **_The reflection cooed, like a teacher convincing a scared preschool student to enter the classroom on his first day of school.

With much curiosity, Sophia stepped forward and squinted at the reflection, which mimicked her same exact movements. _**"Boo."**_

The princess stepped back in shock. _**"Haha, you're very entertaining."**_

Sophia's wand lit up with magic, her face burning red with anger. "Alright. I had enough of your nonsense. Beat the bush-what are your intentions?" The young princess said sternly.

The reflection pretended to be surprised. _**"Oh, you don't know dearie? You summoned me."**_

Sophia shot a bewildered look at her reflection. It just chuckled and replied,_** "Simple. I'm here to help you. I have the solution to all of your troubles and the key to your desires. Read this!"**_ A thick spell book was flung out through the mirror as it landed on Sophia's feet.

The mysterious voice disappeared as quickly as it came.

**...**

Darkness.

Darkness was what all Princess Nightmare could see when she fluttered open half of her eyelids. She tried to move, but when she did, a shot of pain ran through her body, causing her to wince and lay as still as possible on the surface of whatever-place-that-she-was-now.

Princess Nightmare tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness, but no matter how hard she tried, she was proven futile. Finally, her eyes managed to adjust to the darkness. Glancing at her surroundings, something told her that she was not on Earth anymore, to her horror.

She was in space.

"I knew I would win," Princess Nightmare said, "If only those fairies didn't poke their noses into this. THIS, of all events!" She vowed that she would make the Prince of Enchancia and the headmistresses of Royal Prep die a gruesome death if she ever saw them again.

Beyond the distance, she could see Earth, the other planets, such as Venus and Mars, and located at the centre of the solar system, was a bright, blinding star known as the sun.

Getting up on her feet weakly, Princess Nightmare realised that she was standing on a particular rock. Its white surface was full with craters, especially the one that she was sleeping in. She touched the rock's surface gently using the tip of her fingernails.

Looking around her, Princess Nightmare realised that she was not in some sort of ordinary space rock orbiting around the sun.

She was on the moon.

The news hit her like a tidal wave. Princess Nightmare started screaming, yelling at the top of her lungs.

However, no one would hear her screams.

**...**

James was too ashamed to face his family when they arrived at the destructed castle. They have heard about the crisis and immediately rushed to the capital city. To the retired King and Queen's biggest horror, their beloved castle was destroyed to ruins.

When they found James, he was already sitting at the throne room, his wracked sobs echoing through the empty room.

Naturally, they rushed up to him and pulled him in a tight embrace, "Oh, James, don't cry anymore." Miranda comforted his son, but it didn't help, not the least bit.

"How can I forgive myself? I've done something terrible. How foolish of me!" James said as he choked between sobs.

Roland stepped forward, "No, you've done the right thing. Banishing her was the only way."

As James glanced at Amber, she looked like as if she wanted to slap him hard. The young prince waited for the slap to come; however, he felt no pain in his cheek or whatsoever. "You know, I feel like slapping you hard, but I can't. You're depressed enough and I don't want to rub salt on your wound." Amber said dryly.

The young prince lowered his head in humiliation, "No, this is all my fault. If I actually put aside some time to spend with my sister, none of this would have happened." James felt himself go emotional again, and he bit his lip to prevent himself from breaking down again.

Miranda's heart immediately went out to her son, "Oh James. We should get you somewhere to catch some rest," looking at Amber, she said, "How about staying at Amber's until you decide what to do next?"

Amber looked reluctant at first, but eventually gave in. James was her brother after all.

**...**

Princess Nightmare howled to the point that she could barely even whisper. She allowed herself some time to recover, before suddenly realising that her throat was screaming for water. Nightmare desperately scanned the moon's surface for water, only to find craters and moon rocks.

Princess Nightmare casted a spell through her horn, to trap some moisture in the air. _Come on, WORK! _She thought to herself as her horn sparkled to life. But her horn had not yet recovered from the battle she had, and the spark did not last for long as it disappeared in a matter of seconds. Plus, the air in the moon was perfectly dry and couldn't produce any water at all.

It took Nightmare a full solid hour to recover from her failed spell, as the air on the moon was extremely thin.

_Maybe I could dig the ground; there could be water in there. I could build a well or something. _Princess Nightmare thought before starting to dig into the moon's surface, like a dog digging for its bone in the backyard; her heart filled with hope to at least find a small puddle of water.

**...**

It has been three days, and still not a single drop of water to be found.

Princess Nightmare was exhausted. There wasn't a single life form on the moon. No food, no water, and no one to consult for some words of advice.

Recently, the princess had been talking to herself, as she wanted to listen to something instead of her feet strutting on rocks.

"Ugh! I give up on this hopeless search! I might as well return back to Earth!" She paused for a while, before complementing to herself, "Ha! Why didn't I stumble upon this idea sooner? Alright, when I get back home, drink plenty of fluids, next eat to your heart's content, and then find a bed and rest for a week, before I face James again!"

Princess Nightmare allowed herself to keep her emotions in check, before casting a teleportation spell. The tip of her horn fizzed, before a spark ignited. She concentrated as hard as she could to visualize the castle of Enchancia. She opened her eyed to find herself back in her room at the castle.

"YES! I DID IT!" Princess Nightmare cheered gleefully in victory. She scanned her ruined room and her eyes settled on a flower vase sitting on her drawer top. Maybe, _maybe _there would be at least a teaspoon of water in it. "I'M STARVING!"

Just as her fingers brushed on the surface of the vase, she found herself back on the moon. "W-what? B-but that was not even five seconds!" Princess Nightmare shrieked in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

Not willing to give up, Princess Nightmare tried again. She casted the teleportation spell and tried to visualized the castle of Enchancia. Princess Nightmare found herself back in her room, before the spell undid itself.

"UGH! FINE! If I can't teleport back, I might as well _fly _back!" The dark princess spread open her onyx wings and lifted hers if off the ground.

Nightmare focused on the bright blue sphere ahead of her. She exerted all of her remaining energy on her wings as they accelerated in speed.

_Alright, at this speed, I would reach the ozone layer in an hour or so. When you reach there, allow gravity to do its work. Until then, hang on. Upon returning, I would find water to quench my thirst, satisfy my hunger, catch up some rest and make sure that my brother would summon to my power! See how HE likes that! Wait, am I slowing down?_

Princess Nightmare realised that she was indeed slowing down, and something was pulling her back. She felt as if she were a dog being tugged by its leash. The worst thing was, she had nothing to grip on, and felt a little helpless.

_What? No, no no no no no no NO! What's pulling me?_

Princess Nightmare was entering the atmosphere so fast that she created a sonic boom. She struggled under the force as she flapped her wings vigorously. Hastily, Nightmare casted a levitation spell, in attempt to prevent herself from crashing.

Princess Nightmare's efforts were proven futile as she crash-landed on the moon's surface violently, adding another crater to the rock's surface. She cursed in the name of Prince James and vowed to crush the fairies again as she tried to recover from the crash.

Sitting up, Princess Nightmare could not help say aloud as she coughed, as if confirming her greatest fear reality has to offer, "There is no escape."

**In Princess Nightmare's dream, those were flashbacks that actually happened before. **

**Apologies if this chapter is sloppy, it's more fun to write on my PC than on my mobile phone.**


	4. IV--Snapping

IV—Snapping

Two hours later, Princess Nightmare stood up to assess her situation, "Teleportation would just transport me back, fly away and I get pulled back. **THERE MUST BE A WAY!"**

That is when it dawned on her, "Maybe, if I could create a portal, and the stars… perhaps I could perform a constellation that could give me enough power to escape permanently."

Her horn glowed ever so bright as she called out to the ten stars that were closest to her, and patiently waited for them to come to her aid.

**...**

James rested in the guest room of Castle Glorianda as the mass exodus of people made their way to the mining city of the new Enchancia, in hopes to build a new capitol there. He tossed and turned in the king sized bed, unable to fall asleep; he wasn't even the least bit tired.

He suddenly jolted upright as he felt a subtle shift in the flow of the night sky.

The prince got off the bed and stared up at the stars, searching for what could have possibly changed. Nothing looked different, but he felt this strange feeling that he never felt before. He could feel it nonetheless, he thought he saw ten stars were slowly on the move.

He rushed out of the room and ran through the hallways, searching for someone who could help him. By coincidence, he stumbled upon Castle Glorianda's astronomer. James grabbed hold of him by the shoulders and shook him wildly, "Sterren! I am in need of help at once! Check for me if ten particular stars that are closest to the moon are moving, and gather me as much information with your knowledge in astronomy!"

As the prince stopped shaking Sterren, he eyeballed the sky and noticed no difference. However, with the prince so hasty, he spoke, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will be in the observatory to study the stars, and provide you with information as soon as possible. Until then, please rest Your Majesty. You have been through a lot, and there is a long journey ahead."

James nodded politely back. "You as well."

Sterren headed to the observatory as James turned back to his room. _For the sake of my people, I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means._

**...**

Sophia sat as still as the statues in the garden outside the window. She poured all of her attention to the book before her: _The truth about dark magic, and its uses. _As she read on, she could not help but feel as if she were being watched.

"_**Good morning, Sophia. I see that you have taken to my advice."**_

Sophia scoffed as she flipped a page, "I am doing no such thing. I am simply amusing myself during my spare time." As she turned to her left, she looked out of the window out of habit, only to realise that her reflection was missing.

"_**You cannot lie to yourself Sophia, tell me, what are you thinking about?"**_

Sophia swallowed, "Perhaps if I were stronger, if I could become more like my brother, to be able to do anything, certainly my subjects would take an interest in the youngest Princess Of Enchancia."

"_**Good, good, you show a hunger for knowledge. It is important to want to be more than what you are. Perhaps your brother would see how capable you are."**_

Sophia's eyes twinkled at the thought of being admired by James, "You really mean that?"

"_**Absolutely. I am a lady of word."**_

Across the library, the guards stood watch so still and emotionless.

"_Sir?" _The first guard named Jonathan, who was a subordinate under training, whispered.

The second guard, who was Sean, turned around to face him, "Yes, private?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Speak."

Jonathan looked hard at the princess for a few moments before breaking, "Why is she _talking to herself?"_

Sean watched as the princess looked out of the window and would answer questions in her own voice, then suddenly switch to a silky, dark tone and ask questions or give commands to herself. "I don't know private, but when we get to the H.Q. we need to make a report about this."

Jonathan nodded as they both went back to playing statues by the door.

Sophia kept talking to herself.

**...**

Princess Nightmare had fallen into a routine in the last twenty two days: Sleep, wake, wander, talk to herself, use magic to try and make food and water for herself (but failed), repeat.

At the moment, the dark princess sat facing a rock the size of a wardrobe. "It might probably take many years for the stars to come to my aid. Until then, you will be my source of entertainment, Rocky."

The rock naturally just stood there.

Princess Nightmare casted a beam spell on the rock, causing it to break into many small pieces slightly larger than jam jars. She levitated one piece and started scraping the upper part of the rock.

An hour later, the rock roughly took shape of a human head. Princess Nightmare pushed the rock aside and said, "That's all for now. I'll take a break and continue tomorrow. Besides, I have all the time in the universe to complete this."

**...**

"Are you certain?"

Sterren nodded grimly, "Yes I am, Your Majesty. The ten stars: Alpha, Navi, Sirius, Luytem, Ain, Ross, Struve, Kapteyn, Cygni and Vega are all on the move."

James nodded grimly. "Very well, Sterren. Tell me, have your prophets found out what it means?"

Sterren stiffened, not wishing to bring down the wrath of the Prince, but instead he answered, "from my prophets, I found out that all ten stars have the same goal-they are headed to the moon and are trying to form a constellation.

Upon hearing this, James tensed up. "Please tell me, do you think that my sister is behind all this?"

Sterren thought for a moment, before confirming, "Yes, I believe so, Your Majesty."

The prince heaved a light sigh as he glanced at the inky night sky. "How long do we have?"

The astronomer frowned slightly, "It is quite a challenge to measure the exact date and it may take some time, but I do have a rough draft. The stars are moving at an astonishing speed, and they might roughly take about ten years."

James nodded grimly. "Very well. Please calculate the exact date down to the minute you are sure."

Sterren nodded as he bowed down, "Yes Your Majesty." Soon, he left the castle observatory.

The prince stared at the moon and the ten stars that were scattered in the night sky, glittering like polished diamonds. "I know what you're up to Sophia. And I really hope that I can pull through without the aid of the fairies."

**...**

Meanwhile, in a particular tent, a sorcerer was extremely annoyed and frustrated. "Oh. Wormwood, why didn't I grab that amulet sooner? Didn't you saw what immense power contained in that amulet? It transformed Princess Sophia into a demonic creature with extremely powerful magic! If I had that power, I would easily overthrow Prince James and took over the throne!" Cedric stared at Wormwood with eyes of pure rage and insanity

"Now that she's gone, banished to the moon, _**HOW **_**AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE OVER THE KINGDOM NOW?! TELL ME, WORMWOOD!" **Cedric clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his skin, making the raven shudder. Never before it had seen its master so enraged.

Cedric stormed outside of his tent and punched the ground in fury, his breath raspy. "It feels like as if there is no point living anymore, isn't it? After all, I never even least enjoy working under the royal family, not since I first started my job. No! Never! My plans attempting to swipe off that wretched amulet always screw up! Now my chance is gone, and my life is no different! **I HATE MY LIFE!"**

In pure rage, Cedric howled and screamed as he punched the grass so violently until his knuckles bled, pulled his gray and white hair before collapsing onto the mint green grass.

Cedric closed his eyes as he calmed down, his whole body soaked as he reeked of perspiration. His heart thumped madly in his rib cage, his breath raspy. Cedric managed to doze off after a few moments.

**...**

Darkness finally fell at the area Princess Nightmare decided to build her home base at. The moon's air was completely thin. Without the warmth of the sun, the temperature was absolute zero.

Princess Nightmare huddled to the cliff wall on hopes to trap remaining body heat, her teeth chattering slightly from the cold. For the first time, the fallen princess felt vulnerable to the fairies.

_There has to be a way to keep myself warm. I can't stand the cold any longer! _

The fallen princess tried to stand back up, to realise that a thin layer of ice formed on her body from the extreme cold. "Water.." Without hesitation, she ran her tongue over her body in hopes of getting some moisture in her mouth. Despite how minute it was, the vital liquid made a huge difference to her more than the world.

Finally getting enough moisture in her mouth, Princess Nightmare looked at the cliff behind her. A thought entered her mind, so simple yet brilliant.

Her horn glowed as she carved into the dead stone, creating a small cave just barely enough for the princess to step in ten steps or so. She crawled into her makeshift shelter and used her magic to levitate a pile of rocks.

Her horn ignited again as she set a hot beam of magic on the pile of rocks, making them so hot that they glowed red. The warmth emitting from the glowing rocks sank into the cold skin of Princess Nightmare as her body eagerly absorbed the warmth, like a dry sponge absorbing water.

Sighing contentedly, Princess Nightmare lay down and allowed her exhaustion to quietly drift her off to sleep. However, one particular thought rang through her mind before she slipped out of consciousness, _What's going on back at home? Does anyone miss me, or even think of me?_

**...**

Amber was strolling in the garden all by herself. The night air was very comfortable, the temperature was not too hot or too cold and the sky was dotted with thousands in tiny stars twinkling from outer space.

There was something going on in her mind. What happened to Sophia? Being sisters for so many years, Amber knew completely well that Sophia is a loving and kind-hearted soul who treats everyone with respect. Heck, she's too kind to even kill an ant.

So, what happened back at Enchancia that caused Sophia to transform into a monster that vowed to rule the kingdom in chaos and disorder?

Out of nowhere, a strange feeling urged her to confront James. After all, he is the key to the answers Amber has. Breathing out a heavy sigh, the princess-or queen (now that she's married) headed to James' room.

Creeping up towards the door and knocking it as silently as possible with her dedicate hands, Amber waited for a response. When she didn't receive any valid response, she pressed her ear on the door and she thought she heard sobbing.

Amber shook her head and stepped away from the door. "Maybe it's not the right time to ask. I shall wait till the following night."

The queen turned away and retired to her chambers, leaving her twin to cry to sleep.

**...**

Sophia stared at her breakfast, using a fork to poke on her bacon, while her brother, seated on the other head of the table, was busy managing taxes while absentmindedly eating his food.

There was an awkward silence between the siblings as they ate their meals. After a minute or two, Sophia spoke up, "excuse me James, but if you don't mind me taking a minute or two of your time?"

James placed his fork down and looked up from his paperwork. "What is it Sophia?"

Sophia inhaled deeply before speaking, "I have been hearing the voice of a specter as of late. She keeps on telling me to do... dark stuff."

The prince frowned his eyebrows as he pondered about it for a moment. A full minute passed before he replied, "Sister, I know that you have been lonely as of late, but aren't you too old to be having imaginary friends?"

Sophia felt an eye twitch as the voice whispered in her ear,_** "See? I warned you that he wouldn't listen**__. __**Give**__**up Soph, he rarely takes you seriously. Besides, you'll never get rid of me."**_

"But, I must insist that this voice is real, just like me and you! She claims that she can help me, but I think-"

"Well, if she can help you, then let her do so. I do not have the time to listen the activities you do in your spare time. Imagination is healthy, but we have a kingdom to run." With that, James stood up from his seat and walked towards the doors of the dining hall, taking his paperwork with him. "Now, I must finish up my work before I attend an important meeting with the ministers. Enjoy royal court."

The double oak doors slammed shut behind him, leaving Sophia alone with her eggs and bacons.

**...**

James arose at dawn, realising that his pillow was soaked in tears. He allowed them to flow freely as he stared into the horizon and whispered hoarsely, "I'm so sorry sister. If I had listened to your pleas, none of this would have happened."

On the spur of the moment, there was a knock on the door. James hastily wiped off his tears and looked at himself in the mirror, making sure that he looked presentable. The door knocked again.

"Come in"

A tall, slender man wearing a smart business suit who looked a few years younger than Baileywick stepped in. "Good morning Your Majesty. I really hope that I didn't bother you." The man said in a flat voice.

The prince shook his head. "Oh no, you didn't. May I know your purpose being here?"

"I am Castle Glorianda's steward, Loyal Sky. I am here to inform you that you should be at the dining hall for breakfast fifteen minutes ago. Queen Amber wishes to discuss with you on something."

James wasn't surprised, not even the least. "Alright. Give me some time to wash up."

"Please hurry up. Don't forget that you have a very packed schedule today." Loyal Sky called out impatiently.

James sighed. "I hadn't bathed since yesterday."

He headed to the bathroom door and turned the knob. When he stepped in, his jaw immediately dropped.

The bathroom was crafted in flawless white marble while the fixtures were all cladded in gold. _And I thought that the guest bathroom would be made of concrete and stainless steel. _

James inspected a nearby towel rack and tapped it with his fingertips. _Correction. All of the fixtures are made of __**solid**__ gold._

He turned to admire a high quality mosaic. It was the royal family of Enchancia. What made James ogle at it for so long is that the mosaic was made of many different kind of gemstones. The king was made of dark blue topazes, the queen was made of rubies, Amber was made of yellow sphenes, Sophia was made if amethysts, while James himself was made of dark green tourmaline. The background was decorated with multi coloured opals.

_This... this is made purely from real gemstones! Wow Amber, are you really __**that **__wealthy?_

Without further ado, he stripped off his clothing and sinked into the bathtub that was filled with warm water. When he applied the shampoo, it felt soft and gentle on his skin and it smelt like lavender. As much as James wished to stay in here and relax in the tub, he knew very well that this was not possible. He quickly snapped out of it and hastily bathed himself.

When he wrapped the towel around his drenched body, he immediately had the feeling of warmth and comfortableness. James changed into new clothes and combed his hair, brushed his teeth and so on. Finally, he felt refreshed and energized for the day.

James made sure that he had the 'neutral face', or so he calls it, before stepping out of the bathroom. Loyal Sky then escorted him to the dining hall.

When the prince reached the dining hall, his sister was seated at the head of the dining table, eating her breakfast slowly. When she looked up and spotted her brother, she told him to sit at the other head of the table.

"Wait, where's Gerald?" James asked as he turned his head to his right and left, trying to spot the king of Glorianda.

"He's away. Now come on. Sit." James shrugged his shoulders and settled down in his seat.

There was an awkward silence between the siblings as they ate their meals. After what it felt like an eternity, Amber spoke, "You know what topic I'm going to discuss with you, am I right?"

James nodded firmly, his gaze not tearing off his plate of eggs and pancakes. Somehow, he felt like a child getting lectured by his parents.

"I'm her sister, after all, and I am concerned about her well being. What happened back at home that I'm being kept in the dark?" Amber asked, as though she were snapping.

James took a deep breath before speaking, "I was ignorant. All I cared about was governing the kingdom rather than spending ample time with Sophia. She... even mentioned before about a specter telling her do do... dark things. At first I thought that it was just her imagination. Who knew that the voice in her head was real?"

Amber, meanwhile, was nodding her head patiently as James spoke, "Yes, and?"

"She also mentioned that her court has been _empty for months and years, _and she was _tired of being overshadowed. _It's my fault. I should have cared more about her well being. Despite knowing that she was lonely, I didn't even care less. Now look what happened. Perhaps the heavens is punishing me now."

The queen was silent for a moment. After a minute, she spoke, "there is no point wining about the past. My most concern is-where is she banished to?"

The question hit James like a tidal wave. "I... have no idea where."

Amber sighed deeply. "Why not ask the fairies? They were the ones who banished Sophia."

"Yeah. I could do that."

"Good. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get back to my royal duties." Amber stood up from her seat and strolled towards the exit. 'Have a nice day."

The double marble doors slammed shut behind her, leaving the prince to finish up his breakfast, before attending a meeting on the government of the new Enchancia.

**...**

The prince couldn't believe it. He just couldn't.

The moon? And he thought that she was dead, or worse, being banished to an isolated planet thousands of light years away from Earth.

The fairies gave James a spell that gave him the ability to visit Sophia in his dreams. Oh, he couldn't wait to be reunited with his beloved sister again!

James inhaled deeply, before muttering the spell words. As soon as he said those magical words, he felt an icy hand surged into him and pull him away from his body. He felt light, so light that he could float in midair. He felt himself floating away from Earth and landed on the moon.

There, he saw the demonic creature, huddled in a makeshift shelter with glowing hot rocks that served as a fire to prevent herself from freezing to death.

"Sister..."

Princess Nightmare immediately stirred from her sleep and gave the prince an icy cold glare. "What are _you _doing here? Now that I'm eliminated from your life, you should be sitting on your throne, getting all the glory and praise from your _precious_ people." She said with scarsm clear in her voice.

"No words can describe how happy I am to be given a chance to see you, Sophia." The dark princess scoffed.

James placed a hand on his heart. "Look, Sophia. I... I'm sorry for being so ignorant and selfish. I... I should have been more thoughtful. I-"

**"ENOUGH!" **Princess Nightmare bellowed, her voice being able to shake concrete walls, "what's the point of just saying that 'you're sorry'? You don't know what its like to be shunned, ignored and not feel loved! You don't know how much I've suffered in the endless cycle of grief and pain!" Princess Nightmare gritted her teeth, her eyes reflecting pure rage.

"When I gained dark powers, I though that I was broken free from the cycle, but now I'm still strutting on the thorns of the painful, never ending cycle of suffering!" James took a step back. His heart hurt as if it was being stabbed by a knife.

Princess Nightmare softened her tone and said, "tell me James. How would you feel if you were in my shoes?"

To be honest, James had never thought about that kind of question before; it never even crossed his mind. "Depressed, _I guess." _He whispered the last two words under his breath.

"Exactly! So, do you think an apology is enough? Can it bury all your sins and all the events that happened?" Princess Nightmare snarled, showing her deadly sharp fangs.

The prince gingerly shook his head. "Well, I-"

"Get **LOST!'** Princess Nightmare snapped as her horn sparkled to life. She aimed the beam of magic straight at his chest.

**...**

Groaning, James struggled to open his eyelids. However, they refused to obey. When he finally managed to open them, he found himself sprawled on the floor of the guest room. almost all of his energy being drained out from him. He found breathing extremely difficult.

Of course, the fairies warned him that the spell would drain out a large percentage of his energy. Even the simplest of tasks like breathing, would be extremely challenging. He would need an abundant amount of hours of rest before he could gain his energy back.

However, James felt that all this was nothing. He would sacrifice anything for his angel, his sister.

For Sophia.

**Longest chapter I've written so far. Don't worry, I'll make my chapters even longer.**


	5. V--Alone

Chapter V-Alone

Princess Nightmare felt her stomach growling again. There wasn't much she could do about it, unless she felt like eating rocks.

She stared straight ahead of her at the carved stone with the image of a fully grown lady with straight hair, her eyes closed as a scroll wrapped around her body. "I think I shall name you, Scroll Feather." Princess Nightmare said with a smile. She picked up the model and moved it to the side as she brought forward another stone block. "Hmmm, Scroll Feather, what do you think? Should I make you a sibling, or a friend?"

Nightmare stared at the stone, as if expecting it to actually answer, but it did all that it naturally was able to do. Looking it in stride, she nodded her head, "Oh, I agree, siblings are over rated. They tend to get all the attention when they don't even deserve it. Perhaps a friend, a great friend where you can share your knowledge with?"

Nodding happily, she continued to carve the stone, taking it slowly. Talking to herself as she went on, "you know, once I am done with you, I should really do something to protect you and Scroll Feather… After all, once cannot be too careful here; who knows what kind of dangers lurk in the moon? Why just yesterday, I was strolling around and I found a new crater." She paused as if listening, "Maybe a couple of weeks ago a comet crashed and created this crater. The point is, I need to build a better place to protect the three of us and our future confidants. After all, it gets freezing here when the sun can't shower its warmth from the other side of the world above."

The princess used a wing to brush off some dust off the roughly carved stone, "Now you aren't much to look yet, but don't worry, in no time, I'll make you a handsome young man."

The stone sat there as the princess on the moon used her magic to carve chunks out in finer detail. Princess Nightmare nodded every now and then mumbling the occasional yes or no to the statues.

She kept carving and mumbling to herself as she did so.

…

Princess Nightmare's horn glowed as she cast the spell on a pile of scrap rocks.

This time her plan would not fail, this time for sure she could do it. The rocks began to take the form of a rectangle, and strained under pressure. Finally, the rocks could not help but bend to the princesses' will.

"Yes!" Nightmare cheered silently as she layed down the fresh stone bricks. "Very soon, this will become a grand palace indeed, and it will have the strongest defence, and the comforts of home, away from home."

"Oh, Nightmare, how intelligent of you! I wish I were just as smart as you. Not to mention beautiful too." Scroll Feather said in Nightmare's pedestal.

Princess Nightmare chuckled. "Oh, don't say that. You're perfect just the way you are." She turned around and called, "Oh Spark Surprise? Would you be a dear to hand me over those bricks?"

"Of course Nightmare! I love to help you so much 'cause you're my besty best friend ever!" Spark Surprise said in a high pitched voice, as if in a sugar rush. She levitated the bricks and the statue towards her.

Princess Nightmare patted Spark Surprise on the head. "Aww, you're the best assistant I could ever ask for!" She continued laying fresh bricks that soon started to form a wall. After a month, she would have a single room built. In the many months to come, she would build the castle's hallways, living hall, kitchens, bathrooms etc. She would be able to finish constructing her castle in a year's time, two if she were slow.

"You know, Scroll Feather, I was thinking. Maybe after I finish with this room, we can look around and see if that new crater has any water in it. Who knows, a comet could have crashed and melted there for all we know."

"Oh Princess Nightmare, you are so smart!" Scroll Feather said without moving her lips.

Princess Nightmare nodded to herself as she continued laying bricks as fast as she made them, "Yes, yes I am."

…

It has been a little over three months since James had been forced to send her sister to the moon.

In that time, much has happened, Parliament had made arrangements to meet at a local tavern in a private room every day. In that time, the Prince would listen to the ministers, elected representatives and other important people as they carefully planned out what the next move for the Echancian government would be.

James had just retired from a meeting about the budget for building a new official capitol building. It certainly was no easy meeting, that's for sure. The ministers argued over the littlest detail, whose proposal or opinion is better, or whom they think is 'not worthy' to present the idea. Even now, the angry voices of the frustrated ministers were still ringing in his ears, and the Prince would do anything to be rid of them.

As James was strolling back to his room, he stumbled across his brother-in-law, King Gerald. The king greeted the prince with a small respectful bow. "Ah, good to see you again Prince James." James, in return, bowed too. "I see that you had a tough day, huh."

James nodded firmly. "Ugh, I wish you were there to see the ministers. Marble Pen and Warding Stronghold argued their ears off about how money does not come easy and should think of a plan that requires less fortune. Marble Pen even said something about 'shitting gold in your spare time'. Now that was a little amusement back there." He ended with a soft chuckle.

"Ha, Marble Pen has a great sense of humor, doesn't he? Once, he even brought up something about 'moulding your shit into gemstones'. By right, such language is strictly forbidden, especially when he is a minister, and he should be fired. However, when you look at it, his jokes lifts my spirits up, even during the worst of meetings."

"You're lucky to have such a minister." James complimented.

"I'm sure Spring Sketch saved you from those bickering ministers, no? She's a talented one, always full of useful ideas."

James nodded in approval. "Why yes, of course. What she said back there was absolute genius. Such a minister is a rare breed nowadays. I'm starting to get jealous already."

Gerald waved his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, don't say that James. I'm sure that you have such people back in Enchancia, no? Your kingdom is known as _The Origin of Einsteins. _Not to mention Spring Sketch was born and raised in Enchancia."

James blushed slightly at the compliment. "Why, thank you. Perhaps my efforts in governing my kingdom were not futile after all." Out of a a sudden, a pang of guilt struck him hard. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "And my sister deserves a small bit of credit. After all, where would I be without her?"

**...**

A full month has passed and Princess Nightmare managed to build a single room large enough to house at least four people. Scroll Feather and Spark Surprise were accompanied with two other statues, Crystal Wing and Zip Streak.

"Oh my gosh! We finally have a roof over our heads! Thank you so much Nightmare!" Spark Surprise said enthusiastically in an American accent, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Uh huh. Yeah. It's just a room. Gosh..." Zip Streak grumbled in an eastern accent, a scowl carved on his face.

"Magnificent! Though you still have room for improvement, you did a splendid job Princess!" Scroll Feather critiqued in a Scottish accent.

"Gems! Fabulous! These gemstones are extremely rare on Earth, heck, some of these gems can't even be found on Earth! However, they would serve as breathtaking décor for the castle." Crystal Wing said in a very elegant and divine manner.

Princess Nightmare giggled, her fingers covering her lips like what a proper lady is supposed to act, only except for the fan. "Thank you all so much for your compliments. I have your beds prepared, making them with the limited resources I have. I know that the bed is going to be a little... rough, but bear with me dears, soon I shall find resources suitable for beds fit for royalty. Now, go to your rooms." She then levitated the statues to each corner, north, south, east and west.

Princess Nightmare flashed a crazed grin, before it quickly subsided as she shook her head in disbelief. "No... I can't do this. It's just not real..." Immediately, the magic aura from her horn faded as the statues stood dead in their positions, doing what it was naturally able to do.

Staring at the starry skyscape, the princess let out a heavy sigh. "I must be losing my mind. Am I so desperate for love from my subjects that I have to resort to this? It's just pathetic; only losers of this, and I'm not a loser!" Princess Nightmare stomped the ground with her platinum shoes, causing the ground and statues to shake under the intense force. She took a few frustrated breathes before continuing, "so sorry my friends, it looks like you'll have to be decors for the castle; I'm not worthy for love or attention from my people... at least not yet."

Princess Nightmare levitated the statues and placed them at a corner of the room. Then she headed to her makeshift bed and slumped herself on it, trying her best to drift off to sleep on the rough mattress.

**...**

"Are you serious?" Sophia asked peculiarly, glancing at the castle steward across the table in her room.

Baileywick chuckled lightly. "Yes, I am Your Majesty." Sofia glared at him, uncertain. She picked up the teacup with its dedicate glass handle and took a sip of peppermint tea. The warm fragrance of the tea filled her nostrils. After placing the teacup back on the teacup dish, Sophia returned to stare back at Baileywick, who had a very calm expression on his face.

"If you lock yourself up in your room so often, how are you going to interact and form friendships with other people?"

Sophia was stunned for a moment. What he said was legible, understandable and logical. Maybe he was right.

"Well, since you put it this way, but how?"

"It's simple, actually. All you have to do is approach someone friendly, pick up a conversation by discussing about each other's favourite topic. Have the right attitide, loosen up a bit and be positive."

The young princess somewhat had a certain doubt in her eyes. "Are you sure that this works?"

Baileywick let out a hearty laugh. When he calmed down, he spoke, "of course, Your Majesty. If it doesn't, then how am I able to have a wide circle of friends?"

Sophia nodded slightly before speaking, "then can you do a favor for me? Would you help me in practicing this specific method of yours to make friends?"

"Anything for you, Your Majesty. Let's say that you're currently attending a ball and would like to be friends with me. What would you do?"

Sophia pondered for a moment before greeting politely with a curtsey. "Hello. Do you have some time to spare?"

"Why, of course. What is it?"

"I am Princess Sophia. I was hoping that we could have a short conversation, if that's fine with you."

"Sure."

"Well, what do you enjoy?"

**...**

_In order to form allies with the royals, I seeked advice from Baileywick. Also, if I want to be more approachable to my subjects, I will speak in common Enchancian instead of high Enchancian like royals from the past used to speak._

James flashed a warm smile as he read through the journal entry. That smile was very rare to come, as the guilt of imprisoning his sister ate at him.

James was rummaging through Sophia's belongings to find her journal to track the source of her anger and jealously that turned her to the monster she is now, and maybe figure out a way to reverse her and bring his sister back.

The prince was rudely interrupted by the sound of hasty footsteps and the bursting open of the regal double oak doors.

"Your Majesty! Through our best efforts of our best astrology, we found out that Princess Sophia will return!" A hasty and panicky Sterren practically yelled.

Upon hearing the news, James' grip of the book loosened as it slid from his hands and onto the floor.

Sterren took out a scroll and began announcing his report. "According to what we have determined, the stars will aid in her escape, and on the tenth anniversary of her banishment the ruler will be freed from her prison!"

James closed his eyes and nodded. "Did the prophets say anything else?"

Sterren shook his head. "No Your Majesty. Of the Princess's imprisonment it is written that on the tenth anniversary, the stats will aid in her escape. What do we do, Your Majesty?"

The Prince sat with his eyes closed, carefully weighing things out in his mind before speaking, "a prophecy should never be taken at face value. We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst to avoid surprises."

Sterren nodded. "If so, what are your first orders on this matter Your Majesty?"

"I want to be archived with other prophecies that are not yet to happen." The Prince began, "but do not make an announcement about this. We do not need a panic from misinterpretation. Only a scholar would search for its true meaning. The wisest of people will unlock the secrets, hopefully before the time runs out."

Sterren bowed before leaving, and in his mind James moved his king out onto the battlefield.

**...**

"Oh mother, I may not be the best princess, or a good sister, but please, I beg of you, don't make me suffer like this forever. I... just want to go home. If I can leave now, I won't force anybody to love or give me attention. I'll just leave. I just want to be loved. Maybe if you van see it in your heart, mother, help me."

Nothing.

Princess Nightmare heaved a heavy sigh. "What should I do mother? Should I fight on my return, or flee to another haven? Should I beg for forgiveness, or force my wrath upon them? Surely after what I've been through, I should enact vengeance, right?"

The princess drew circles in the dirt with her fingers and breathed another heavy sigh. "I don't care if everyone hates me forever, I just what food and water."

At that very moment, a comet streaked across the vast sky above her, and a wide smile was plastered on her face, it was as if her answer had come.

She watched the comet pass, and a small piece broke off and fell down from the sky directly towards her. Nightmare leaped back in fear if being hit.

The piece smashed onto the crust of the moon, a few yards away from Nightmare, and she dashed towards it, in hopes of something, anything that could be consumed. When she arrived, there in the centre of the small crater was a chunk of pure ice.

A wave of bliss washed over her as she faced the starry skyscape. "Thank you Mother, for blessing me with something small to ease my suffering."

**...AAnndd I failed to write a chapter longer than 3k+ words… T_T**


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